why is 2.50 m and 2.05 are not the same in distance

Which would you rather have?

$2.50 (two dollars and fifty cents)

or

$2.05 (two dollars and five cents)

An explanation:

2.50 means that the 5 is in the tenths place. 2.50 = 2 and 5/10

2.05 means that the 0 is in the tenths place. 2.05 = 2 and 0/10.

http://www.enchantedlearning.com/math/decimals/placevalue/

To understand why 2.50 meters and 2.05 meters are not the same in distance, we need to look at their numerical values. In this case, the difference lies in the decimal places.

In the decimal system, each digit to the right of the decimal point represents a fraction of the unit. A value like 2.50 m can be broken down as follows:
- The digit 2 represents 2 whole units of distance.
- The digit 5 represents 5 tenths of a unit (0.5).
- The digit 0 represents 0 hundredths of a unit (0.00).

On the other hand, a value like 2.05 m can be broken down as:
- The digit 2 represents 2 whole units of distance.
- The digit 0 represents 0 tenths of a unit (0.0).
- The digit 5 represents 5 hundredths of a unit (0.05).

As you can see, the two numbers vary in the position of the digits representing the fractions of the unit. In 2.50 m, the fraction is in tenths (0.5), while in 2.05 m, the fraction is in hundredths (0.05).

Therefore, even though the whole number part (2) is the same in both cases, the difference in the position of the digits representing the fractions leads to a difference in the overall distance.

In summary, 2.50 m and 2.05 m are not the same in distance because they have different fractional values, with 2.50 m having a larger fraction than 2.05 m.